Grace, the Forbidden Gospel - Online Christian Library

Law Grace
Three Covenants
There are many covenants in the Bible, but here we will only focus on three, the first two being covenants
which God had made with man and the third one which was made within the Trinity itself. If we comprehend
these three covenants it will make the Bible much clearer and simpler to understand. Firstly however we
must understand the difference between a covenant and a promise:
When God makes a promise, we have to put our faith in that promise for it to come to pass:
…but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Heb 6:12 NKJV, emphasis
added)
…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions. (Heb 11:33 NKJV, emphasis added)
However, when God makes a covenant it will come to pass, whether we believe it or not. God can not lie and
when He takes an oath, He always does what He says. Let’s look at those three covenants:
First Covenant
God appears to Abraham and makes a covenant to be Abraham’s God and to multiply and bless him.
Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with
you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your
name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly
fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant
between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and your descendants after you. (Gen 17:3-7 NKJV)
There were no strings attached. Abraham also didn’t do anything to deserve any of this; he didn’t keep any
laws or live unusually holy. As a matter of fact, some theological scholars believe Abraham was an Iraqi who
worshipped pagan Gods! He disobeyed God by sleeping with his wife’s servant (Hagar) and through this
single act of disobedience gave birth to Ishmael, who became the father of all the Arab nations as we know
them today. His wife Sarah later gave birth to Isaac, the son who was born according to the promise and who
became the father of the Israelites. And we know that up to this day there exists a continuous conflict between
these nations.
Abraham also lied twice about his wife Sarah (once to the Pharaoh in Genesis 12 and once to Abimelech the
king of Gerar, in Genesis 20) and alleged that she was his sister. Abraham was afraid that they would kill him
due to the fact that she was a very beautiful woman.
Now even though Abraham was clearly in the wrong here, God didn’t rebuke him for it but instead rebuked the
pharaoh!
But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
(Gen 12:17 NKJV)
And later again God rebuked the king of Gerar and not Abraham:
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man
because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife". (Gen 20:3 NKJV)
16